Title: Double Up
Series: Lake Lovelace #1
Author: Vanessa North
Genre: MM Romance
Goodreads

My Rating:

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Blurb

Fifteen years ago, Ben Warren was a wakeboarding champion: king of big air, ballsy tricks, and boned grabs. Until a career-ending injury left him broken in ways he still has no hope of fixing. Now he takes his thrills where he can get them, and tries not to let life hurt too much.

Then Davis Fox arrives in Ben’s sporting goods store with a plan to get in touch with his estranged brother by competing in the annual wakeboarding double-up contest. The catch? He’s never ridden before. It’s crazy, but Ben’s a sucker for the guy’s sob story—and for his dimples, too—so he agrees to coach Davis.

Davis is everything Ben isn’t: successful, confident, and in love with life. And he wants Ben to love life—and him—too. But before Ben can embrace a future with Davis, he needs to remember how to hope.
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My Review

Double Up is such an awesome story! It has everything needed: a hot and broken ex-wakeboarding champion, a hot and lonely architect with freckles, dimples, a dead father who accepted him, a homophobic mother and stepfather, and a little brother he is not allowed to see. (Okay, Dave might look a bit cliché from the outside, but his personality is great. Well, actually too great to be true, but who cares? He is amazing!)

Oh, and a flamboyant best friend! I loved Eddie!

Ben and Dave’s story is captivating, perfectly balanced with angst, romance, sex, sport, humor, family drama, and appearances of secondary characters (though I wouldn’t mind a bit more of Eddie).

I adore Dave and I understand Ben. The story is told from Ben’s viewpoint – I loved it! His narration is so genuine and touching.

When I see Dave hurting, it’s bigger and scarier than any wake I’ve ever hit.

The chemistry between them is sizzling, the sex scenes are steamy and surprising, peppered with just the right amount and right quality of dirty talk.

There is something incredibly sexy about being ordered around by a guy who blushes when he does it.

Highly recommended!

Title: Pillow Talk
Author: J.H. Knight
Genre: MM Romance
Goodreads

My Rating:

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Blurb

Dear Author,
This photo shows two young men asleep in bed together. Sweetness, trust, absolute comfort with each other. So are they just friends or what?

Photo Description: Two young men sleeping on a bed together. Fully clothed and lying on top of the covers, the one in back sleeps on the other’s back with his arm tucked around his midsection, hugging him in sleep.

This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group’s “Love is Always Write” event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story.
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My Review

“Guess you were right; an ambush blowjob isn’t very Cary Grant.”

Scott and Jimmy are best friends and roommates since freshman year, and they have a very special touchy-feely relationship. Everyone suppose they are a couple, but they are not. Though Scott is gay and out, Jimmy is allegedly straight, and quite a ladies’ man. Obviously, Jimmy is head over heels with Scott, but 1) he doesn’t want to ruin their friendship, 2) he is not comfortable with the idea of coming out yet.

It was really nice to witness the affection between them: little touches and pecks, teasing and good-hearted banter, sleeping together, occasionally showering together (!). It is definitely the „everyone-sees-it-but-the-two-of-them” situation.

So it was nice, with the high level of intimacy and deep friendship, but the story simply progressed nowhere. It just went on and on, no development, basically nothing happened, nothing changed.
And then, out of the blue, Jimmy sneaks into Scott’s room and bed. A surprise bj, a quick fuck, and happily ever after. Very abrupt and sudden.

Title: Cold Feet
Author: Jay Northcote
Genre: MM Romance
Goodreads

My Rating:

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Blurb

Best friends snowed in together. When the heat rises, will they get cold feet?

Getting snowed in at a remote cottage in Wales with someone he’d fancied for ages isn’t exactly how Sam expected to spend Christmas. His feelings for Ryan are pointless. Ryan’s straight—or so he thought.

Until now, Ryan’s kept his feelings for Sam buried. Why ruin a friendship over what might only be gay experimentation? Playing it cool seems safer, until a cold snap makes sharing body heat vital. In their Welsh safe haven, anything seems possible.

As Ryan’s reserve melts away, Sam wants more than stolen kisses under the mistletoe. But a sudden thaw means making decisions. They could face the New Year together—unless one of them gets cold feet.
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My Review

Sam, the openly gay ubergeek redhead is secretly in love with his best friend, Ryan, the hunky rugby player, who has been questioning his sexuality ever since Sam came out. A geek and a jock, secret crush, another GFY/OFY story – how cliché, you’d think. Well, Northcote dares to say it aloud.

He was the ultimate gay cliché, secretly and hopelessly in love with his straight best friend.

Yes, we’ve read it all before: best friends, suppressed feelings, forced together in an isolated place, in unusual circumstances.

But the execution of the story is supercute and heartwarming, so delectable! The portrayal of Sam and Ryan’s feelings and trepidation is excellent, the plot, the characters’ background and the secondary characters are great and not overdone.

Overall, Cold Feet is a sweet holiday story. Recommended!